News from EPI › Most states continue to experience job growth while unemployment rates remain stubborn

The State and Regional Employment report for July, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows progress toward full employment at the state level continues, but at a very slow pace. While a majority of states saw job growth, fewer than half experienced declines in unemployment.

From April to July, 43 states and the District of Columbia added jobs, with Arkansas (1.3 percent), District of Columbia (1.3 percent), Missouri (1.2 percent), Florida (1.0 percent), and North Dakota (1.0 percent) making the largest percentage job gains. Over that same period, employment fell in only six states: New Mexico (-0.9 percent), Wyoming (-0.9 percent), South Dakota (-0.8 percent), Kansas (-0.6 percent), Montana (-0.5 percent), and Wisconsin (-0.2 percent). In Delaware, the number of jobs was essentially unchanged.

In the second quarter, unemployment fell in 21 states. Tennessee (-1.3 percent), Michigan (-1.0 percent), Alabama (-0.9 percent), Texas (-0.7 percent), and North Carolina (-0.6 percent) saw the largest declines in unemployment. Over those same months, the unemployment rate increased in 21 states and the District of Columbia. The largest increases in unemployment occurred in Maine (0.7 percent), the District of Columbia (0.5 percent), Alaska (0.4 percent), Massachusetts (0.4 percent), New York (0.4 percent), and Utah (0.4 percent). In eight states, the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged.

July

Current state unemployment rate and percent change in total number of jobs over last 12 months

State

Current unemployment rate

Change in unemployment rate in last 3 months

Change in unemployment rate in last 12 months

Change in unemployment rate since Dec. 2007

State unemployment rate ranking from lowest to highest

Percent change in number of jobs in last 12 months

Change in number of jobs in last 12 months

Percent change in number of jobs in last 3 months

Change in number of jobs in last 3 months

Percent change in number of jobs since Dec. 2007

Change in number of jobs since Dec. 2007

Alabama

3.5%

-0.3%

-2.8%

-0.9%

19

1.7%

34,100

0.3%

5,600

0.2%

4,400

Alaska

7.3%

0.1%

0.7%

0.9%

51

-0.7%

-2200

-1.2%

-3900

2.6%

8,200

Arizona

4.5%

-0.2%

-0.5%

0.1%

36

1.3%

35,000

0.1%

3,300

3.4%

90,900

Arkansas

3.7%

0.2%

-0.2%

-1.5%

22

0.9%

11,300

-0.5%

-6500

3.4%

41,200

California

4.3%

-0.8%

-0.9%

-1.7%

30

2.1%

342,500

0.9%

151,800

9.7%

1,502,600

Colorado

3.1%

0.6%

0.1%

-1.0%

12

2.0%

53,200

0.5%

13,900

13.7%

321,000

Connecticut

4.6%

0.0%

0.2%

-0.3%

41

0.5%

7700

-0.1%

-2,000

-1.2%

-20,100

Delaware

4.6%

-0.3%

0.3%

0.9%

40

-0.1%

-600

-0.7%

-3300

3.0%

13,100

Washington D.C.

6.0%

-0.5%

0.3%

0.3%

50

1.0%

8,000

0.2%

1500

13.6%

95,500

Florida

3.7%

-0.1%

-1.2%

-1.2%

21

2.5%

213,500

2.1%

176,100

9.8%

774,100

Georgia

4.4%

0.0%

-1.1%

-0.7%

33

1.9%

83,200

0.5%

24,600

8.4%

348,600

Hawaii

2.0%

-0.5%

-0.9%

-1.2%

1

1.1%

7,200

0.1%

700

5.0%

31,300

Idaho

2.9%

0.1%

-0.7%

-0.3%

7

2.1%

14,700

0.9%

6,800

10.1%

66,000

Illinois

4.8%

-0.2%

-0.9%

-0.7%

45

0.5%

29,600

0.2%

13900

1.1%

65,700

Indiana

3.4%

-0.4%

-0.6%

-1.4%

15

0.9%

27,600

0.2%

7,100

4.8%

142,900

Iowa

2.8%

-0.4%

-0.7%

-0.9%

6

1.8%

28,300

0.8%

13,400

4.9%

74,900

Kansas

3.4%

-0.4%

-0.9%

-0.9%

14

0.4%

6,300

0.6%

8,000

2.2%

30,000

Kentucky

4.4%

-0.8%

-0.4%

-1.1%

32

1.1%

21,200

0.1%

1,200

5.1%

94,500

Louisiana

4.6%

-0.5%

-1.4%

0.5%

39

0.3%

5,500

-0.3%

-6,000

2.0%

39,500

Maine

3.0%

-0.7%

-0.8%

-1.9%

9

0.8%

5,000

0.2%

1,200

0.3%

1900

Maryland

4.0%

0.2%

-0.2%

0.6%

24

1.1%

31,400

-0.7%

-19,500

5.4%

141,700

Massachusetts

3.5%

-0.4%

0.4%

-1.1%

18

1.8%

63,000

0.3%

10,700

10.0%

330,600

Michigan

4.7%

0.4%

-0.4%

-2.6%

44

1.3%

57,100

0.4%

19,000

4.3%

180,600

Minnesota

3.1%

-0.6%

-0.9%

-1.6%

11

1.3%

37,300

0.1%

3200

6.8%

189,000

Mississippi

4.6%

-0.6%

-0.9%

-1.3%

38

1.6%

17,800

1.0%

11300

0.2%

2,500

Missouri

3.5%

-0.3%

-0.9%

-1.9%

17

0.8%

22,800

0.2%

4,500

3.3%

92,200

Montana

4.1%

0.2%

0.1%

-0.1%

28

1.8%

8,300

1.2%

5,900

7.5%

33,600

Nebraska

2.7%

-0.1%

-0.6%

-0.3%

4

1.1%

10,900

-0.1%

-1,200

6.7%

65,200

Nevada

5.0%

0.1%

-0.1%

-0.1%

47

3.3%

43,800

1.2%

16,000

5.6%

73,000

New Hampshire

2.6%

-0.1%

-0.1%

-0.9%

3

0.8%

5,300

0.1%

800

4.5%

29,200

New Jersey

5.0%

0.3%

0.3%

0.4%

46

0.6%

22,900

0.1%

2,600

1.0%

40,500

New Mexico

6.0%

-0.2%

-0.7%

2.0%

49

1.2%

10,400

0.5%

4,200

-0.3%

-2,400

New York

4.6%

-0.3%

-0.2%

-0.3%

37

1.0%

98,300

0.2%

18,600

9.0%

787,300

North Carolina

4.5%

0.4%

-0.7%

-0.5%

35

1.7%

75,000

0.7%

29,800

6.9%

289,500

North Dakota

2.6%

0.2%

-0.4%

-0.5%

2

0.4%

1,800

-1.0%

-4,600

20.3%

73,600

Ohio

4.7%

-0.6%

-0.3%

-1.0%

43

0.7%

38,500

-0.1%

-4,400

2.3%

124,100

Oklahoma

4.1%

-0.4%

-0.7%

0.5%

27

1.2%

20,400

0.2%

2600

4.0%

64,100

Oregon

4.1%

-0.1%

-0.4%

-1.2%

26

2.7%

49,300

1.2%

22,300

9.4%

164,200

Pennsylvania

4.7%

-0.1%

-0.7%

-0.1%

42

1.3%

78,400

0.3%

16,600

3.2%

183,200

Rhode Island

4.4%

0.2%

-0.5%

-1.7%

31

1.2%

6,000

0.3%

1,300

1.9%

9,500

South Carolina

4.1%

0.2%

-0.2%

-1.6%

25

2.2%

46,500

1.2%

24,800

8.6%

167,900

South Dakota

3.5%

0.1%

0.6%

0.8%

16

0.9%

4000

0.5%

2100

7.6%

31,200

Tennessee

3.2%

0.2%

-1.9%

-2.3%

13

1.0%

28,700

-0.1%

-2,900

7.8%

218,200

Texas

3.9%

-0.1%

-0.9%

-0.4%

23

2.5%

306,900

1.0%

121,300

17.8%

1,882,400

Utah

3.1%

-0.3%

-0.1%

0.1%

10

2.6%

37,900

0.5%

7,400

17.6%

222,100

Vermont

2.8%

-0.1%

-0.4%

-1.4%

5

0.8%

2500

-0.4%

-1200

2.6%

7,900

Virginia

3.7%

0.0%

-0.4%

0.2%

20

0.8%

30,200

-0.3%

-12,400

5.0%

189,500

Washington

4.5%

-0.1%

-0.6%

-0.3%

34

2.1%

68,500

0.7%

23,500

12.1%

362,900

West Virginia

5.5%

0.4%

-0.3%

0.8%

48

0.2%

1300

0.2%

1,200

-1.6%

-12,100

Wisconsin

3.0%

-0.5%

-1.1%

-1.8%

8

1.4%

40,200

0.4%

12,500

3.4%

96,900

Wyoming

4.2%

0.2%

-0.6%

1.4%

29

0.4%

1,100

0.9%

2,400

-5.6%

-16,400

Jobs refers to the total number of jobs, part-time or full-time, in non-farm establishments.

Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics data

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